THIS WAY TO HAPPY

Twelve-year-old Reilly Rhoades discovers that finding happiness isn’t as simple as it sounds.

After her grandfather’s death, Reilly watches her family’s Pennsylvania amusement park crumble—along with their fragile unity. Explosive fights erupt between Reilly’s mother and aunt, and the tension only escalates when they find out Grandma needs a heart bypass. Living in trailers behind the park, the family faces further strain when Reilly’s aunt and her beloved cousin abruptly leave, and the financial burden of Grandpa’s unfinished ski lift project threatens everything. When 12-year-old Alex, who’s staying at a nearby campground, splashes into her life with endless questions and great enthusiasm, Reilly finds an ally who shows her that sometimes it’s OK not to be OK and helps her find a way to pay tribute to her grandfather. Throughout, Reilly grapples with the “Rhoades Family Way”—the expectation of constant hard work and self-reliance that defined her grandfather’s legacy. Myers offers an unvarnished depiction of a genuinely flawed family. She weaves in themes of addiction recovery through Barnett, the wise park manager whose guidance helps both Reilly and her recovering mother navigate their struggles while learning that happiness isn’t always “just around the corner,” as the park’s billboards promise. Reilly and her family are cued white; Alex is Taiwanese.

A thoughtful story about honoring the past while building bridges to new possibilities.